Bengaluru: Children in Karnataka's Shivamogga were forced to clean and scrub school toilets in a video that has been widely circulated online and drawn angry protests from parents. Shivamogga is state Education Minister Madhu Bangarappa's home district and the Block Education Officer has filed a report.
The shocking incident took place sometime last week but the video surfaced just now. The school told the BDA the students - from Class Six - were only asked to pour water in to and not clean the toilets. Responding to the incident, the Education Department has suspended the principal, Shankarappa.
This is the third such incident in the southern state this month alone.
Last week students of a government school in state capital Bengaluru were also found cleaning toilets. Furious parents and activists staged protests outside the school in the city's Andrahalli area.
In the Andrahalli case, Mr Bangarappa condemned the "deplorable" incident. The minister, who was involved in a car crash late last night but is safe, has not yet responded to the incident in his district.
"... there is no doubt we will take the strictest action as per law. Further, I will ensure such incidents don't repeat... and will ensure all necessary action is taken by our department," he had said.
After the Bengaluru shocker, the Education Department suspended the school headmaster, and Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar warned those who would force children to perform such tasks.
"NSS and Seva Dal camps use to give train kids in cleaning garden or planting saplings but we didn't give permission for children to clean the toilets," the senior Congress leader said.
Before the Bengaluru and Shivamogga incidents, the principal and a teacher of a residential school in Kolar district were arrested, and four contractual staff sacked, after another horrific video - of Dalit students cleaning a septic tank. In another video, students were seen kneeling carrying heavy bags.
READ | Dalit Students Made To Clean Septic Tank In Karnataka, Principal Arrested
Those visuals were from the Morarji Desai Residential School that has 243 students, four of whom were made to climb down into the tank and clean it with their hands as a punishment.
The visuals sparked outrage and led to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah intervening.